degrader

degradingly

Examples of degrade in a sentence

The group accuses the company of degrading women in its ads.

He felt degraded by their remarks.

Scratches on a camera lens will degrade the image.

Pollution has degraded air quality.

Did You Know?

In Shakespeare's King Lear, the old king is degraded by the daughters he has given his kingdom to. He finds it degrading, for instance, when the number of his guards is reduced from 100 to 25. His degradation seems complete when, after going mad, he's reduced to living in the wilderness. As you can see, degrade is often a synonym for humiliate.

Origin and Etymology of degrade

Middle English, from Anglo-French degrader, from Late Latin degradare, from Latin de- + gradus step, grade — more at grade

DEGRADE Defined for Kids

degrade

Definition of degrade for Students

degraded

degrading

1: to lower in character or dignity <Mom feels that dressing animals in costumes degrades them.>

2: to break down or separate into simpler parts or substances <Bacteria will degrade the spilled pollutant.>

3: to reduce from a higher to a lower rank or degree <He was degraded to a private by his commander.>

Word Root of degrade

The Latin word gradus, meaning “step” or “degree,” gives us the root grad. Words from the Latin gradus have something to do with steps. Anything gradual happens slowly one step at a time. To degrade is to reduce from a higher to a lower degree. A grade is a step in school made up of one year of work. Even the word degree itself has gradus as its root.